Chris Buescher 2026 Report Card: Hot Start, Then a B-
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from all 36 races, not opinion. Next up: the number 17, and a season that came within 0.114 seconds of a win.
The Short Version
Chris Buescher's 2026 season was a tale of two halves. Over the first 18 races he averaged a 13.1 finish, ran 2nd at Talladega and signed a contract extension while sitting 7th in points. Over the last 18 his average finish was 20.0. He made the Chase as the 10th seed and finished 16th. He did not win for a second straight year. His computed season grade is a B-, 16th of 35 full-time drivers, which is exactly where he finished in points.
Why the Chris Buescher 2026 Grade Is a B-
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Buescher's season score ranked 16th of 35, which lands at B-. His car had more speed than the results show. He ranked 12th in average driver rating and 13th in average running position, but 15th in average finish. He started 14.2nd on average and lost 2.4 spots per race from there, 28th of 35 in positions gained.
The second half is what pulled the grade down. Had he kept his first-half pace for all 36 races, a 13.1 average finish would have ranked 5th in the Cup Series.
Chris Buescher by the Numbers
Here is where Buescher ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
This is a mid-pack card with the best numbers on the speed side. Buescher ranked 12th in average driver rating (79.4), 13th in average running position (15.7), 13th in top 10s (11) and 14th in fastest laps (208). He was 15th in average finish (16.6), lead lap finishes (23) and percentage of laps in the top 15 (51%), and 16th in laps led (134).
The weak spots are the top 5 count and the trend. Two top 5s ranked 21st of 35, and he ranked 28th in positions gained. He was 10th in DNFs with three.
A First Half Worth an Extension
The year started with a recovery. Buescher was turned into William Byron's car in his Daytona Duel and had to go to a backup car, so he started the Daytona 500 41st. He finished 7th. From there the number 17 was one of the most reliable cars in the field:
- Darlington, March 22: led 41 laps, finished 9th.
- Talladega, April 26: led 22 laps and was leading on the last lap when Carson Hocevar got by him with a push from Alex Bowman. Buescher finished 2nd by 0.114 seconds. He said losing his pusher, Erik Jones, who was turned with seven laps left, "really hurt our chances."
- Texas, May 3: started 3rd, finished 5th.
- San Diego, June 21: led 7 laps on the street course and finished 6th with a 117.5 driver rating, his best of the year.
On June 16, RFK Racing signed him to a multiyear extension in the number 17. "Chris is everything you want in a race car driver and teammate," Brad Keselowski said.
The Second Half Slide
After 18 races Buescher's average finish was 13.1. Over the next 18 it was 20.0, and the Chase average was 20.8. He was already locked into the Chase on points before the regular-season finale at Daytona on Aug. 29, where he started 2nd. At the end of Stage 1, Shane van Gisbergen hit Kyle Larson, Larson was pushed into Buescher, and the number 17 finished 40th.
He entered the Chase as the 10th seed. He crashed out at World Wide Technology Raceway in September and finished 27th. His best Chase result was 10th at Charlotte.
The race that sums up his year was Talladega on Oct. 25. Buescher won Stage 1 and led a race-high 53 laps. Then he was out in a late accident and finished 32nd. He made his 400th career Cup start at Martinsville a week later and finished the year 16th in the standings with 2,212 points.
What 2027 Looks Like
The number 17 stays with Buescher. The length of his extension was not disclosed. Scott Graves was his crew chief for all 36 races in 2026, and no crew chief change has been announced. The team around him will look different: Brad Keselowski is leaving RFK after 2026, and Ryan Preece moves into the No. 6. Track every move on our 2027 silly season tracker.
Buescher's last Cup win came at Watkins Glen in September 2024. He has six career wins. The 2027 Daytona 500 is Feb. 21. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide, and every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
For 18 races, Buescher finished like a top-five driver. For the last 18 he did not, and the B- is the average of both. He was 0.114 seconds from changing the whole conversation in April. In 2027, the job is ending the two-year winless run.
Gear Up for 2027
We do not have Chris Buescher gear in stock right now. These are the easiest ways to keep the hats and shirts coming through the offseason.
- NASCAR Fan Cap Subscription
- Winner's Circle Shirt Subscription
- Pit Stop Surprise Subscription
- The newest NASCAR gear
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; Daytona 500 starting position via NASCAR's official race notes and lineup reports; Talladega via NASCAR.com and Sports Illustrated; extension via RFK Racing and Speed Sport; Chase field via NASCAR.com; Daytona in August via On3; Talladega in October via RacingNews; final standings via Motorsport.com; career wins via RACER.
